Auburn will enter a new decade with a 12-0 record after an 86-59 victory over the Lipscomb Bisons. Danjel Purifoy and Jamal Johnson showed out for the Tigers by leading the team in scoring with 17 and 14 points while Austin Wiley recorded his second consecutive double-double.
The Tigers got off to a slow start after the eight-day break between games. Lipscomb led 10-2 just over two minutes into the game, but J’Von McCormick knocked down two 3-pointers in a row to tie the game at 12.
Down by just one point with 9:35 left in the first half, the Bisons would go on a 7:13 scoring drought as Auburn extended its lead to 16.
Jamal Johnson caught fire during the first half hitting three-of-four from 3-point range and led the Tigers in scoring at the break. Johnson finished the game with 14 points in just 17 minutes of action.
Austin Wiley continued to dominate by grabbing five rebounds in the first half, four of them on the offensive end of the floor. He recorded his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The second half began with Lipscomb chipping away at Auburn’s lead, but the Bisons never came within single digits.
Danjel Purifoy showed off his 3-point shooting for the first time since December 5th by knocking down a pair of 3’s in the second half. He finished the game as Auburn’s leading scorer with 17 points.
Freshman Isaac Okoro continued to show flashes of excellence by scoring 10 of his 14 points in the second half.
Auburn’s bench outscored Lipscomb’s 26-11. Jamal Johnson was the leader off the bench with his 14 points while Devan Cambridge and Anfernee McLemore contributed five and three points.
The Tigers showed out on the boards and outrebounded the Bisons 43-28 as Austin Wiley grabbed 11 rebounds and Danjel Purifoy pulled down nine.
Auburn will begin SEC play as one of two undefeated teams remaining in college basketball. They will face Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday, January 4th at 3:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
